Posted in: Ablaze Publishing, Comics, Comics Publishers, Opus Comics | Tagged: ablaze, diamond, massive, opus

Diamond Comic Distributors Is Suddenly Very Busy With News

Diamond Comic Distributors, who have recently lost DC Comics, and much of Marvel, IDW & Dark Horse, are suddenly terribly busy with news.

Diamond Comic Distributors, who have in recent years lost DC Comics, and much of Marvel, IDW and Dark Horse, are suddenly terribly busy with news of deals with other comic book publishers.

Ablaze has announced that it has renewed its worldwide distribution agreement with Diamond Comic and Diamond Book Distributors with a multi-year deal, to exclusively distribute its products to North American and international book markets, as well as the comic book specialty market.

"Diamond has been an important partner throughout our growth, and we are very happy to extend our relationship," says Rich Young, Publisher and Co-Founder of ABLAZE. "Their teams on both the direct market and book market have worked hard to customize to our needs and those of the channels that will continue to support the expansion and evolution of the ABLAZE catalog."

"We're excited to continue our work with ABLAZE in all markets!" said Tim Lenaghan, Chief Purchasing Officer for Geppi Family Enterprises. "Rich and his team have quickly established themselves as one of the most innovative publishers in comics, and Diamond feels privileged to be their exclusive distributor in both the Direct and Book markets."

As well as regular titles such as Traveling to Mars, The Mighty Barbarians, Un/Sacred, He Who Fights with Monsters, Porcelain, Eros/Psyche, Belit & Valeria, Forget My Name, Tentacles At My Throat, and others, Ablaze are expanding their of manga, manhwa and webtoon titles, published under the Ablaze Manga line, including manhwa martial arts series, The Breaker, launches for graphic novels based on a pair of Korean webtoons, Get Schooled and Terror Man, along with Wakfu Manga, inspired by the Netflix anime series, the webtoon Zombie Makeout Club, and publishing rights to four classic manga by Osamu Tezuka.

While Opus Comics has announced an expanded partnership with Diamond Comic Distributors and Diamond Book Distributors, a worldwide distribution agreement to also exclusively distribute their books to North American and international book markets. Distribution to the comic book specialty market will continue to be handled exclusively by Diamond Comic Distributors as Opus moves into Diamond's Deluxe Tier of publishers.

Opus Comics launched as an imprint of the production company Incendium with over a dozen comic book titles based IP including Bill and Ted: Roll the Dice, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer and Evanescence: Echoes from the Void.

"Diamond saw the potential in Opus Comics right from the start and provided us with the tools we needed to survive in a tough marketplace. Now that we're taking our partnership to the next level, we will be equipped to thrive in both the Direct Market and the Book Market," said Denton J. Tipton, Executive Editor at Opus Comics.

"We're very pleased to welcome Opus to the Deluxe Publisher tier!" said Tim Lenaghan, Chief Purchasing Officer for Geppi Family Enterprises. "Their business with Diamond has grown tremendously in a very short time and is a testament to the quality of their publishing program. We look forward to many years of working with another across all markets."

There was also the news that Massive Publishing- the new name for Whatnot Publishing – would join Diamond's Deluxe Tier of publishers, alongside AfterShock Comics, Titan Comics, Ablaze Publishing, Frank Miller Presents and now Opus Comics, guaranteeing preferred coverage in the Previews catalogue and expanded support on the PreviewsWorld website.

"We are thrilled to expand the Massive Publishing line, offering even more diverse and exciting stories to our readers as we join this prestigious group of industry leaders," said Michael Calero, Massive Publishing CEO and Co-Publisher. "Our team is grateful for the dedicated retailers that supported our first imprint, Whatnot Publishing, and we can't wait for them to see what we do next."

"We're excited to expand our relationship with Massive and include them alongside our other Deluxe Publishing Partners," said Tim Lenaghan, Chief Purchasing Officer for Geppi Family Enterprises. "Their commitment to telling quality stories has resulted in impressive sales that position them as a publisher on the rise."

Then they just announces that Emily Botica, who joined DBD in 2007 as sales manager working with Borders, would be promoted to Vice President, Publisher Relations and Marketing at Diamond Book Distributors, the bookstore side of Diamond. And that in her new role, Emily will continue to spearhead innovative marketing campaigns, develop and implement effective publisher acquisition strategies, and further elevate the company's brand awareness and reputation.

"We are thrilled to promote Emily to Vice President, Publisher Relations and Marketing. She has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of our industry," said Tony Lutkus, President of Diamond Book Distributors. "Emily's expertise and vision will play a key role in driving future growth, strengthening relationships, and further establishing DBD as a leader in the industry."

Lots of Diamond news all of a sudden. Is something in the air?

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